United, with three defeats in their opening six league games under David Moyes, would already be wondering whether they picked the right man. The fans would be baying for Mourinho.

Mourinho could have watched all this unfold for the first few months of the season. By the turn of the year the Special One would have been the most wanted manager in world football.

Sure, he got a decent result last night in the Champions League. A very good one in fact after his recent traumas.

That win was emphatic but there have been times when it's felt as though Mourinho is only just passing through.

A sabbatical never crossed his mind of course, not when he claimed to have unfinished business with English football after he was left shredded by his experiences at the Bernabeu.

He has been coaching at the highest level for 11 years and is in danger of burn out after jumping at the chance to return to Stamford Bridge.

With the exception of an enforced period of rest when he was fired by Chelsea in September 2007, until he replaced Roberto Mancini at Inter Milan in June 2008, he has barely paused for breath.

He is a top coach, no question, but that doesn’t mean he is infallible or incapable of making bad decisions.

His huff in Bucharest on Monday evening was another example. He lost his cool, unnecessarily, at a time when Chelsea need some calm.

Frank Lampard once said that his antics lightened the mood in the dressing room before big games, taking the pressure off the players as they watched him tease, provoke and bully rival managers and referee.

Those were the days when Chelsea’s dressing room was bound together by the brotherhood of captain John Terry, Lampard, Wayne Bridge, Joe Cole and Didier Drogba.

They were Chelsea’s most influential players during his first spell and they responded to Mourinho’s management methods.

This time he has split a dressing room and created doubt among some of the best footballers in Europe.

Around 18 months ago David Luiz and Juan Mata beat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in one of the most dramatic Champions League finals in history. Mourinho treats them as if they still have it all to learn.

Looking down: Mourinho is under a little bit of pressure after Chelsea's stuttering form

Holding his head: Mourinho could possibly have done with a break after leaving Real Madrid in the summer